


A Taste Of Their Own Medicine

by JifToons



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Background Logicality - Freeform, Consent, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Movie Night, Nightmare Before Christmas References, Prinxiety Fluff, Relationship isn’t fake anymore but still isn’t official yet, Romantic Fluff, Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unsympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Unsympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, also the relationship is now officially real, and this story needed some external conflict, because prinxiety, but like in a good way, consent is important in fake relationships kids, i love them both but they're so much fun as villains, idk what else to tag, maybe i'll come up with more tags later, my friend beta read this and said she loved it, roman is super extra, so everyone thank her, we love a classic fake dating fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:21:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27127825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JifToons/pseuds/JifToons
Summary: Virgil and Roman are sick and tired of Patton and Logan being lovey-dovey all the time, so they decide to start a fake relationship to show the others how they feel. Will this relationship stay fake, or turn into something more than that?
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 34
Kudos: 99





	1. Bad Idea

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! Been awhile since I posted anything, huh? I've been really into Sanders Sides the past few weeks and I've been wanting to write a new fanfic for awhile, so here we are. Also that new Asides episode only added to my love of Prinxiety, so that helped too lol. Thanks to my friend for beta reading, btw! She doesn't have an AO3 acc yet but once she does I'll be sure to tag her.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> ALSO I'm going to try my best to title each chapter after a song from a musical, but the song itself is totally unrelated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annoyed with Patton and Logan’s relationship, Roman and Virgil have a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of the first chapter comes from the musical Waitress! 
> 
> I’ve seen the tour of Waitress it’s frickin amazing

It had been a few weeks since Patton and Logan made whatever relationship they have “official.” The pet names, gushy back-and-forth interactions, and cuddling on the couch had become a constant in the Mindscape, especially coming from Patton. Every meal, brainstorming session, and discussion was sprinkled with “darling”s, “my dear”s, and “I love you”s. The two sides had become almost inseparable. 

Virgil and Roman were sick of it. 

They had both gotten very used to being the awkward third wheel to the two boyfriends or hearing one of them rant about their feelings regarding the other, and anytime all four of them gathered together, Roman and Virgil spent the entire time giving each other uncomfortable looks while Patton and Logan showered each other with love and affection.

They were both about to call it quits until Roman showed up to Virgil’s room with an idea. 

Roman knocked on Virgil’s door and walked in, being careful to close the door behind him. Virgil was laying on his bed with his eyes closed. His headphones were blasting music, so he was unable to hear Roman enter his space. After standing awkwardly for a bit, Roman tapped Virgil softly on the shoulder in a futile attempt to not startle him.

“What the hell, Princey!? What are you doing in my room?” Virgil screeched.

“Eh, sorry!” Roman replied apologetically. “I hope you know I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t important.”

“It better be important as hell, Roman.”

“Feel free to deny this,” Roman started, “but I believe I have a solution to our issues regarding our friends’ new… arrangement.”

“I’m listening,” Virgil replied, more open to conversation than before. “Anything to get them to calm down.”

“I propose that we give Logan and Patton a taste of their own medicine, if you will.”

Virgil paused, contemplating what Roman had just suggested to him. “…what?”

“We- you know- pretend to be in a relationship like they are! If we act all cutesy around them like they are around us, maybe they will understand how it doesn’t make us feel the best.” Roman’s gestures were getting more and more animated. 

Virgil was growing nervous about this plan, especially since there was almost no plan at all. “Would we even be good enough to convince them? I mean- Logan and Patton’s relationship developed over time. It would be really weird if we just started being so gushy just outta the blue.”

“Oh how hard can it be? It’s only acting, and I’m the greatest actor in the Mindscape! And the most romantic! I put the “Roman” in “romance!” If anyone can act like they’re in a relationship, it’s me!”

Virgil sighed. “I don’t doubt your abilities to do something like this, Princey, but acting isn’t really my thing. You know this.”

“Yes, but what do we have to lose?! If they ask, we just say that we’re trying something new! You can just follow my lead. You can do that, right?! Don’t you want them to consider how we feel?”

“Yes! But-” Virgil said, rubbing his temples, “is this the best way for us to go about it? Couldn’t we just talk to them about how their PDA makes us feel?” 

“Well, yes, we could just talk to them,” Roman explained, “but that’s the easy way out! And since when have we taken the easy way out when dealing with issues?”

Virgil paused. “You have a point there.” 

“So are you in? Want to be fake boyfriends to get back at Patton and Logan?”

Virgil stood up from his bed and faced Roman. Looking the creative side in the eye, he stuck out his hand. Roman smiled and shook Virgil’s hand.

“Well, looks like you got yourself a fake emo boyfriend, Princey,” Virgil said with a smirk. 

\-----

Roman was planning a Disney movie night for the next day, and unbeknownst to Patton and Logan, they wouldn’t be the only couple cuddling up together. He wanted the plan to go well, so to help Virgil feel more in his comfort zone he decided they would watch The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Patton and Logan were already together at one end of the couch, with Patton curled up on Logan’s lap while Logan wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. While Roman was up by the TV setting up the movie, Virgil was curled up on the floor by the opposite end of the couch, looking at something on his phone, trying distract himself from what he was about to do.

The movie started, and Roman went to take a seat on the couch. Normally he would have just sat by himself during a movie, but instead he ran at Virgil, scooped him up into his arms bridal-style, and landed onto the couch. 

“I’m excited to watch our favorite movie together, Sunshine!” Roman exclaimed, beaming. Virgil, on the other hand, was very startled and on edge while laying in the prince’s arms. Trying his best to remember his role, he silently cuddled into the Roman’s chest, a small blush growing on his face. 

This interaction won a very puzzled look from Logan and a confused smile from Patton. 

“What are you two doing over there?” Patton asked, intrigued by this new development in his friends. 

“Oh, just giving my chemically imbalanced romance some love,” Roman explained, cuddling a still speechless Virgil a bit harder. “He hasn’t had the best day today, you know.” 

That wasn’t a total lie, as he had spent all day thinking about the possible outcomes to their “relationship” starting. Thinking about bad outcomes in social situations was his thing, after all. But, it did give him the excuse to stay silent for at least a bit longer. He wasn’t used to all of this affection being sprung on him all at once. 

“Aww Virgil,” Patton sympathized, “if you weren’t feeling good you could have told us! We could have helped!”

“We can stop the film, if you feel that it is necessary,” Logan chimed in. 

Virgil wanted to speak up, but he still felt unable to. Luckily, Roman seemed excited to continue the “scene.” “Oh there’s no need for that Logan,” Roman continued, “Virgil’s bad day is precisely why we are watching this movie! It is our movie, after all.”

“Your movie?” Logan asked, confused. “But neither one of you were involved in this film’s production-”

“Um, I don’t think that’s what he meant, my dear,” Patton interrupted. “But I’m confused about it, too. Since when have you two had “a movie”? And when did you start being so… so cuddly?” 

“…why does it matter…?” Virgil finally piped up, although still very quiet. “You two have been ‘cuddly’ for awhile now. Do you have issues with us doing it? Does it make you uncomfortable?” He gave a look up to Roman, hoping that they could start to get across the point that they wanted to make. 

“Oh, I have no issues with it at all!” Patton said excitedly, still sitting comfortably in Logan’s lap and arms. “If this is what you two want to do, I’m not going to be the one to stop you!”

Utterly astonished, Roman managed to ask “wh-what about you, Logan? Do you have problems with, with us?”

Logan cleared his throat, and then said “I agree with Patton. It is not inappropriate for the current setting, as Patton and I are relaxing in a similar way. So, no, I am not uncomfortable with the two of you behaving in this way.”

Virgil and Roman were both dumbfounded at how much their plan had backfired. “Oh, good..” the latter managed to say, while Virgil just fell completely silent again while still laying on top of Roman. 

Somehow, they got through the rest of the movie without any issues. The duo had to sit there and wallow in how their plan had fallen apart right before their eyes. 

When the movie had finally finished, Roman gave an exaggerated yawn and proclaimed “Well, that was just as good as it always is! But, now it is time for me drop Sunshine here off and then get some beauty sleep myself. I bid you both farewell!” And with that, Roman stood, with Virgil in his arms once again, and fled from the living room to Virgil’s room. 

Roman dropped the darker side onto his bed and sighed. “Well,” Virgil said in a tired, monotone voice. “That went just as well as one of the ways I predicted. Which was terrible. What else do you think we should do, Princey?”

Roman thought for a moment, and declared, “Well, we have two options. We abandon the plan here and talk to them about our issues, or…”

“Or?”

“We go even more intense.”


	2. What Is This Feeling?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil and Roman need to take their plan to the next level, and things start to get out of hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title comes from Wicked, and I actually prepared to perform this song as Elphaba in 8th grade lol
> 
> wonder if I can still sing it 4 years later

“What do you mean by that?” 

“We have to- you know- do even more PDA to get across our point.”

“I dunno, Princey… I feel like this could get outta hand real fast.” Virgil confessed. “I don’t want to make them feel too uncomfortable, either. Trust me, I know how it feels.” 

“I know how it feels too Virgil, but this is fun! It can be fun to go with the creative solution instead of the easiest one!” Roman said enthusiastically. 

“I guess, but is it worth it? I dunno-”

“YES!” Roman shouted fantastically. 

“Wha… why? Why are you so set on this idea?”

“I honestly don’t really know,” Roman continued, “but whenever I get an idea I’m excited about I just take it and run with it. And I’m doing that right now. So what do you say, Virg? Wanna keep this fake romance train goin?” 

“Roman, I- I’m not sure if this is going to work out as well as you think it will…” Virgil said, growing more quiet with each word. 

Roman grabbed Virgil by the shoulders, their faces only inches apart. “Please? For me?” 

Virgil felt his face growing hot. “Fine…” he said, turning his face away from Roman, who squealed and pulled Virgil into a tight hug. 

“Ahhh! Thank you Virgil! I promise you won’t regret it. This plan will work out brilliantly!” 

Flustered from the hug, all Virgil could do was nod his head quickly and pull out of the hug. 

“But-!” Virgil interrupted. “I have one condition before we keep going.”

“I suppose that’s fair,” Roman agreed. “What is it?”

“You can suggest whatever you want,” he explained, “but I have to say whether it’s okay or not. I’m not doing anything I’m not comfortable with, especially if I don’t know about it beforehand. Is that fair? I can’t say that I enjoyed suddenly being scooped up into your arms without any warning.”

Roman let out a small sigh. “Yes, I agree that’s fair. Sorry about that. Thank you for letting me try this out, even if you’re not really into this idea. It means a lot to me.”

“Yeah, yeah… now get out of my room. I don’t want Patton or Logan to see you in here for so long and getting any ideas about what we could’ve been doing.” 

After letting out a small laugh, Roman said “I suppose you’re right. I’ll leave you be for now, then. And don’t you worry, I’ll have the next stage of our plan done right away!” 

And with that, Roman exited the room, leaving a very unsure Virgil behind. He had feelings about this, but he didn’t really know what kind of feelings they were. He hadn’t ever felt them before. And, being totally honest, he both feared them and were excited about them.

\-----

Roman figured that the reason the others were comfortable with him and Virgil cuddling was because they were as well. So, they needed to do something couple-y when Logan and Patton weren’t. Maybe if it was a totally different mood compared to what else was going on in the room, it would convey the point they wanted to make. 

So, Roman was very excited when Virgil knocked on his door the next day. 

“Yo, Princey, what’s the plan?” he asked, standing in the doorway.

“Well…” Roman replied, gesturing for Virgil to enter his room, “here’s what I came up with.”

“Lay it on me.”

“The reason Patton and Logan were fine with us last night was because they were cuddling, too. So, we should do something romantic when they’re just doing their normal activities.”

“Hmm…” Virgil said, “makes sense to me. Details?”

“Logan is currently working on something at the dinner table, and I overheard that Patton’s planning on baking some cookies today. So, while they’re working, we go out there and ‘couple it up’. Ya know, cute banter, holding hands, hugs, gazing into each other’s eyes…”

Roman started to stare off into space until Virgil snapped his fingers in his face. “-Roman? You good?”

Returning to reality, he said “Oh! Yes, sorry. I’m not quite sure what came over me.”

Giving Roman a look, Virgil continued, “Alright, well, that sounds fine with me. I think I’ll be okay doing that as long as you are able to tell if I want you to stop.”

“Of course. Shouldn’t be a problem. I just have one more thing to mention, I’m afraid.”

“And? That is?”

“Well, last time you were pretty quiet- which is fine! But, this time, I feel like you need to be more into it. Make it seem like it’s a mutual thing and not just me falling head-over-heels for you, okay?”

Virgil sighed. “Yeah, that makes sense, I guess. I should be better now, since we actually talked about what we’re going to do.”

“Perfect!” Roman exclaimed. “I’m ready to go when you are.”

“Alright, then, let’s-”

“Roman? Can I come in?” A voice interrupted. Patton. “Are you talking with someone?”

Virgil and Roman gave each other a panicked look. “Time to improvise!” Roman whispered. 

“Roman, wait!” Virgil whisper-shouted. He stopped when Roman quickly grabbed his hand and called back to Patton.

“Go ahead, Patton! I was just talking with my lovely Sunshine!”

Patton opened up the door to see Roman with a large smile plastered on his face and a blushing Virgil staring down at his hand in Roman’s. 

“Oh, uh, well hi there, Virgil! I, uh, was just going to invite Roman to bake with me. I was going to stop at your room, too, but since you’re in here might as well let both of you know right now. So, um, yeah! Just feel free to stop by and help, if you guys want to!”

“Thank you, Patton,” Roman replied, “I think we’ll be there in a few minutes.” He looked to Virgil, who only nodded.

“Alright, well, I’ll see you soon, then.” With that, Patton backed out of the room and closed the door behind him. 

“Well, he seemed pretty uncomfortable when he walked in on us together,” Virgil said, letting go of the breath he had been holding onto.

“I’m not sure,” Roman replied, “he seemed just startled to me.”

“Regardless, I think it will still help our cause.”

“Me too. Well, ready to go out and be all gushy, my love?”

“As I’ll ever be, I guess.”

Roman tightened his grip on Virgil’s hand as he guided him out of the room and into the kitchen.

Patton was searching for the ingredients he needed in the kitchen, and Logan was planted at the table with a laptop, just as Roman said he would be.

Glancing up from his computer, Logan caught a glimpse of the “couple” entering the room. “Hello Virgil, hello Roman. Are you two planning on canoodling like you did last evening?” he asked. 

“Uh- yes! Yes, we are!” Roman replied, not entirely understanding what Logan had asked. 

“Alright, well, I ask that you do not do anything too affectionate, as I am trying to get very important work done, and Patton seems to be working very hard, as well.”

“Sure thing, Lo.” Virgil lied. “Don’t worry about it.”

Logan simply nodded and got back to working at his laptop. Virgil and Roman made their way over to the kitchen to scoop out what Patton was up to. He was measuring out his dry ingredients, knowing the recipe by heart. 

“How are the cookies going, Padre?” Roman asked Patton as Virgil sat on the counter in between the kitchen and the living room.

“Oh, just fine!” Patton replied excitedly. “Are you two here to help?”

“Sure…” Roman said, noticing an extra-large bag of chocolate chips sitting with the other ingredients waiting to be measured out. He grabbed it, but instead of getting a measuring cup, brought it over to where Virgil was sitting. He scooped up some chocolate, grabbed one of Virgil’s hands, and dropped some of the chocolate chips into his hand. “Follow my lead…” he whispered as he brought one of his chocolate chips to Virgil’s mouth. After a second of confusion, he opened up his mouth to accept the chocolate his “boyfriend” was offering him. Virgil then picked up one of the chips in his hands and fed it back to Roman. They went back and forth like this for a while, and before long it turned into a play fight filled with laughing throwing chocolate chips back and forth, which caught the attention of both Logan and Patton. 

“Oh, you two are gonna invite more ants over doing that!” Patton squealed, trying his best to pick up the chocolate chips all over the kitchen.

“Again, why just aunts and not uncles?” Logan asked from his table, which was now also covered in chocolate. “And both of you better be cleaning this mess from my workspace!”

Virgil and Roman were too distracted by their laughter to hear either of the others in the room. They both knew they were supposed to be faking, but they were, surprisingly, genuinely having fun together.

Calming down a bit, Roman managed to say, “you’re more fun than I thought, Virgil!”

“Yeah, well, I guess I’m full of surprises,” Virgil replied, a smile wide on his face from laughing. Patton and Logan were both trying to get their attention, but it was a fruitless task. Roman and Virgil had both almost totally forgotten about the other two in the room. 

“Oh, really?” Roman asked, going into full-on-shameless-flirt mode. “Are there any other surprises that you want to tell me about?”

He was leaning towards Virgil, who was still sitting on the counter. Roman’s arms were resting on the counter, one on each side of Virgil. Their faces were only inches apart.

Virgil, despite the large blush growing on his face, was able to be almost just as smooth as Roman. “Why would I tell you,” he asked in a low voice, pulling Roman’s face closer as his eyeshadow turned to a shimmery purple, “when I can show you?”


	3. It Only Takes A Taste

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's song comes from Waitress again!
> 
> Hopefully I won't use too many songs from that show

Roman and Virgil started leaning closer and closer to each other, their eyes slowly closing. They were about to make contact when Patton pulled Roman back and Logan held Virgil in place on the counter.

“Hey!” Roman exclaimed, fighting out of Patton’s hold around his waist. “Release me, Patton! Immediately!”

“No!” Patton replied, successfully containing Roman. “Not until you two apologize!”

“Apologize for what, exactly? Having fun?”

“For interrupting our work!” Logan responded, his grip on Virgil’s shoulders tightening. “We were both concentrating very hard until you two showed up laughing, throwing chocolate chips all over the kitchen and living room, and displayed highly inappropriate levels of affection!”

“Really?” Roman replied, annoyed. “You wanna go there?” 

“I have no plans on leaving my current location.”

“Ah, darling,” Patton chimed in, “that’s not what that means-”

“No, what I mean is that you two are not allowed to talk about ‘inappropriate levels of affection’ when that’s almost all you two do nowadays!” Roman interrupted. “It has made us both feel very uncomfortable!” 

Virgil had fallen silent ever since Logan grabbed his shoulders, and had no intention of speaking up any time soon.

“Well, I’m sorry Roman, but you and Virgil almost kissing while we are working made both of us feel uncomfortable.” Patton explained. “That’s why we stopped you.”

“I will admit that Patton and I have been… amorous around both of you before, and that could possibly make you feel uneasy. But we have never done something such as kissing in front of you. I believe that to be a safe boundary for us all to set.”

Roman sighed. “Fine. I agree. Virgil and I apologize. Now if you’ll excuse us, we will leave the two of you be.” Patton released his grasp on Roman, and Logan did likewise. Roman approached Virgil and reached for his hand, and Virgil apprehensively accepted and climbed off of the counter, allowing himself to be led back to Roman’s room. 

When the door closed, Virgil dropped Roman’s hand and sunk down in front of the door.

“Oh my- Sunshine! Are you okay?” Roman asked, concerned. 

“No!” Virgil screamed, tears starting to form in his eyes. “I screwed it all up!”

“Virgil, you didn’t-”

“Yes, I did! It was all going well until I embarrassed us and tried to kiss you for some reason! God- I’m so stupid!”

Roman sank down and wrapped Virgil in the tightest hug he ever gave. “Virgil, you’re not stupid, and you didn’t embarrass us.” He affirmed. “And you didn’t screw anything up, either. As a matter of fact, we achieved our goal! We set boundaries for when we’re around others, and we helped Logan and Patton understand how we feel!”

Through muffled sobs, Virgil said something Roman wasn’t able to hear. Loosening his grasp, he quietly asked “what did you say, Sunshine?”

“BUT /I/ DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW /I/ FEEL!” Virgil yelled, tears streaming through his eyeshadow, which had turned back into a deep, deep black. 

“W-what?”

“I- I don’t know why I was acting so flirty, I don’t know why I started pulling you in, and I don’t know why I tried to kiss you!”

“Is, is there anything you /do/ know?” Roman asked him softly. 

Virgil took a few deep breaths, thinking, and then replied, “I know that I wasn’t acting when I started to pull you in for a kiss.”

“Well,” Roman replied kindly, “do you still feel like you want to kiss me? It’s okay if you do.”

“I- uh- I don’t know.” Virgil replied. “I feel like I kinda killed the mood.”

“I can assure you that you didn’t. So if you still want to kiss me, you can. It’s okay. But if you don’t want to anymore, that’s okay too. Do what makes you feel safe.”

Roman could tell that Virgil felt conflicted, but was patient with him. After a moment, Virgil looked up at Roman and nodded. “Yeah, I- uh, I think I still want to.”

Smiling, Roman gently placed his hands on each side of Virgil’s face and pulled him into a soft kiss. Virgil leaned away from the door and into the kiss, making it deeper and more passionate. His eyeshadow became the brightest, most shimmery purple it had ever been. 

After letting the kiss settle for a moment, they slowly pulled apart. Both of their faces were blushing, but from excitement rather than embarrassment. 

Finally finding his words, Virgil said “I don’t think this ‘fake dating’ thing turned out how we planned.”

“What do you mean by that, Virg?” Roman asked.

“I didn’t plan on our /fake/ relationship giving me /real/ feelings.”

“Well, how could you not want to kiss me? I am a prince, after all.” Roman joked, an oversized smile growing on his face. Virgil let out a small laugh and gave Roman a playful shove on the shoulder. 

“Yeah, yeah, just keep telling yourself that, Princey.”

They both fell into a moment of silence, just staring at each other. 

“Well, now what?” Roman asked Virgil. 

“What?”

“What are we now? I don’t think we can label this as a fake relationship after that magnificent little kiss. Don’t tell me that I’m the only one that thinks that this little thing- you and I- could actually be something?”

Virgil sighed. “I- I don’t know. I’m feeling pretty confused right now.”

“What are you confused by?” Roman asked. “Maybe I can help you understand it.”

“I don’t know if these are actual, genuine feelings I’m having, or if I just tricked myself into feeling this way for our… arrangement to work out.” Virgil explained.

Roman thought for a moment. “I think I understand what you’re saying. So, how about this- since we accomplished our goal, we take a few days off. Ya know, don’t do anything that could be seen as ‘romantic’ for a bit. After that time, you can figure out if your emotions were genuine or not. Then we can decide what we want to be from there.”

Virgil gave Roman an apologetic look. “Are you sure that’s okay?”

“100%, yes.” Roman replied. “I know that you’re not as familiar with these types of relationships as I am, so I want you to feel comfortable and in control when you’re in ‘uncharted territory’. Don’t worry about me, whatever makes you happy will make me happy.”

Virgil took a deep breath and replied, “Thanks, Princey. Sorry that I kinda turned this whole thing around pretty fast. Trust me when I say that I really wasn’t trying to.”

Roman let out a small laugh. “I know, Sunshine. Believe me, I know the feeling. This whole ‘romance’ thing was my own dumb idea anyway, so we’re kinda equally at fault for this happening. 

“We really screwed ourselves over, huh?”

“Honestly, we should have seen this coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HC Roman as being able to understand exactly what someone needs in a relationship, so that's why he's so understanding, flexible, and patient with Virgil. He's able to know what he needs to make the relationship go well. Some may see it as being out of character, but that's kinda just how I interpret him. I'm curious to hear all y'alls thoughts on this characterization


	4. A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Four's title is from Be More Chill ;P
> 
> also TW for arachnophobia i guess?? virgil talks to his pet spider idk if that qualifies for a warning or not but i'm taking the safe route

The next day, as they had planned, Roman and Virgil didn’t talk much. In fact, they barely even saw each other. Roman was on the couch almost all day, writing out some ideas and concepts he had come up with. Virgil spent the entire day in his room, only leaving for snacks. 

Around noon, while Roman was still working away at the couch, Patton walked into the kitchen to make something for lunch. “Oh, hey Roman! What are you working on?”

“Oh, just writing some stuff down,” he replied. “What are you up to, Padre?”

“Just going to make a sandwich or something. Why don’t you take a break from your hard work and eat with me? I’ll make you whatever you want.”

Looking back and forth between his work and Patton, he decided that a break would be nice. So, he got up off of the couch and met Patton in the kitchen. 

“You’re not going to throw chocolate chips everywhere, are you?” Patton asked jokingly.

Roman laughed as he reached for the ingredients to his own lunch. “No, I have no intention of doing that. After all, Virgil’s not even here.”

“What’s going on with the two of you, anyway?” Patton asked. “One day you two kiddos were just friends, and the next you’re in each other’s arms trying to kiss each other. What’s up with that?”

“Well…” Roman said slowly, contemplating whether or not he wanted to tell the truth. Screw it. “it’s a funny story, actually.”

“OOOHH!” Patton squealed. “Now I’m invested.”

“Well, first of all, try not to get mad at us, especially Virgil. This whole thing was my idea, after all.”

“I promise I won’t get upset with either of you, Roman.”

“Alright, well, Virgil and I were both getting uncomfortable whenever you and Logan did something intimate around either one of us- which is fine now! Since we set up boundaries, but we wanted to do something to let you both know how we felt.”

“And that was- acting like us?”

“Sort of. Virgil just wanted to talk with you two about it, but with me being me, I had a different idea. I proposed that we pretend to be in a relationship, and then do romantic things around you guys so you could understand our feelings.”

“I-I see. Is that why you guys almost kissed? You faked that?” Patton asked. 

“Well, you see, here’s the thing,” Roman replied. “That almost-kiss wasn’t just acting. Virgil and I talked right after it happened and he told me that he genuinely was trying to kiss me, but he didn’t understand why. So… well, I don’t know if I should tell you the next part. It’s a bit private.”

“Oooohh!” Patton exclaimed. “Did you two actually kiss?”

“Wha- how did you guess?”

“It’s not like it was a hard assumption to make. You said Virgil wanted to kiss you.”

“Good point.”

“So is your fake relationship real now?”

“Not quite. What we have isn’t pretend anymore, but it’s not official either. Virgil needed time to sort out his feelings.”

“That would explain why he’s barely left his room today,” Patton said, finishing up his sandwich and moving to the table. Roman followed. 

“Yes, I guess that’s how he sorts through his emotions.”

“And what are yours?” Patton asked innocently. 

“What do you mean?”

“What are your feelings towards him? Do you want to be his boyfriend?”

“Oh- well- I’m going to let Virgil make the choice of whether we become boyfriends or not.”

“Yeah, but- do you want it to happen? You can tell me.”

Roman had to think for a moment. “Well, I’ll be happy with whatever choice he makes and feels comfortable with…” he started. “But, between you and me, I’m kinda hoping he wants a relationship. I think it would be good for both of us.” A blush started growing across his cheeks. 

Patton was giddy with delight. “Oh, you two would be so cute!!!” he shouted. “I mean, you already were when you two were cuddling and stuff, but it would be so much cuter if it were real, ya know?”

“I agree. But we’ll just have to wait and see what Virgil wants to do.”

\-----

Virgil had spent the entire day before sprawled out on his bed, music blaring in his headphones, and he intended to spend today that way too. He thought the music would be loud enough to drown out all of the thoughts running through his mind, but he’d go deaf before that would be possible. 

As much as he wanted to avoid it, he knew he’d need to sort out his feelings about Roman sooner rather than later. He had never felt romantic attraction before, let alone physical attraction. He didn’t even think he was capable of such feelings until now. Maybe that meant something. 

As Virgil was shuffling through his waterfall of emotions, his pet spider crawled up his bed and onto his chest. 

“Oh, hey buddy.” He replied, feeling exhausted. He pet the spider’s head with his finger. The spider gave Virgil a look. 

“Well, maybe I look confused because I am confused.” He replied to the spider. 

“…”

“You know what about, and I don’t feel like talking about it.”

The one-sided conversation between Virgil and his spider continued. “Yeah, I agree I probably should talk about it, but that doesn’t mean that I want to.”

“…”

“Fine!” Virgil yelled, moving the spider from his chest and sitting up on his bed. “I’ll talk.”

His spider made a happy noise.

“I think I like Roman,” he told the spider, who made an upset sound.

“Yes, he used to make fun of me and we’d argue all the time, but we’ve both changed. You know that.”

“…”

“I would like a relationship with him,” he told the spider, “but I’m scared of what could happen if we ever broke up. Like it could be really awkward, and we might not be able to work together again, which would hurt Thomas. Even if I want a relationship, I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk.”

“…”

“What do you mean, ‘just talk to him about it’? I can’t do that! Roman wanted me to make this choice myself, and I want to stay true to what he wants.”

The spider turned its head. 

“Don’t give me that look!” 

“…”

“Fine! You’re right! I like him!”

The spider let out a little squeal of happiness.

“Do you think it’s worth risking a bad breakup?” Virgil asked, petting his spider.

“Yeah, I guess Logan and Patton took that risk. You’re right.”

“…”

“I guess I’ll tell him tomorrow. I’m too exhausted right now.”

The spider made a happy sound and crawled up onto Virgil’s shoulder. 

“Aw, thanks buddy. I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter instead of taking notes in my government class


	5. At The End Of The Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5's title is from Les Misérables! I did costumes for that show my sophomore year of high school. Our lead was played by Michael Williams, who was on The Voice, which is fun. He's literally given me a hug. I'm not kidding.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Virgil said he’d give Roman his answer today, and he intended to keep his word and talk to Roman the next time Virgil saw him. It wasn’t his fault that the next time he saw him wasn’t until that night.

Earlier that day, when Virgil had finally talked himself up enough to go seek out Roman, a figure appeared right in front of his door. 

“Hello, Virgil.” Janus said with a smirk. “I’m *so very sorry* to barge in on you like this.”

“Wha- what are you doing in here, you snake?” Virgil asked angrily. 

“I caught word of the, well, flirtations going on between Roman and yourself,” he explained. “and I have to say, his brother is not happy about it.”

“Remus has nothing to do with this!” Virgil shouted. “And neither do you!”

“You are correct,” Janus replied, “this has *nothing* to do with either one of us!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Roman and yourself, out of all of us Sides,” Janus explained, “are the ones that despise Remus and myself the most. It’s not like we would want you two to get closer or anything.”

Virgil sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look- I get it, you don’t want us to get together or anything, but that doesn’t matter. You can’t scare me out of doing this. Not anymore.”

“Virgil, do you really think a light side, least of all Roman, would every allow you to get that close to them?” Janus asked. “Sure, they say that they accept you and enjoy having you around, but they could always be lying. Believe me, I would know.”

Virgil could feel his eyeshadow growing darker. “Don’t- I’m not going to let you in my head and screw around with my thoughts. You’ve had me doubt friends before, and I won’t let you do it again. 

“Hmph,” Janus said, starting to sink out of the room, “Of course you *won’t*.”

Virgil was left facing his door, reminded of what he set off to do. He was no shape to talk to Roman anymore, or anyone for that matter. Turning around, Virgil face-planted onto his bed in defeat and stayed there until late into the night. 

It wasn’t until around 11:30 at night that Virgil felt like moving, and it was because he heard a soft knocking at his door. “Virgil?” Roman called gently. “Are you okay? You’ve barely been out of your room for three days now. Do you want to talk?”

Virgil sighed. Screw it. “Sure. Come on in,” he said, muffled into his bedsheets.

“I was just- oh my, are you okay?” Roman asked, concerned. 

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“Virgil,” Roman said softly, moving to sit next to him on the bed, “you know you can’t lie to me. Especially now.”

Not wanting to lie to Roman, especially after his previous interaction, Virgil sighed and sat up. “Aright, yeah. But I don’t want to talk about it right now; let’s talk about why you came in here.”

“Oh, yes.” Roman replied. “Have you made your decision yet? Or do you need some more time?”

“No, no. I got it.”

“Oh, really?!” Roman said, trying to stop his heart from fluttering too much. “A-and what is it?”

Virgil cleared his throat. “Well,” he started. “I think I want to try a relationship with you, Roman. I really do.”

Roman practically exploded with glee. “R-really? You really want to?”

Virgil smiled. “Yes, Roman. Believe it or not, I do.” Squealing, Roman reached over and wrapped him up in a hug that leave even Patton impressed. “-but! We’ll have to go kinda slow. This is all very… unfamiliar to me.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Roman responded. “You’ll have nothing to worry about.”

Virgil gave him a look.

“Ah, sorry. *Almost* nothing to worry about. Forgot who I was talking to for a second.”

“…well,” Virgil started, quieter. “There is something both of us should worry about.”

Roman’s face turned serious very quickly. “…and what is that?”

Sighing, Virgil continued. “Earlier today, right before I wanted to go find you, Janus came to talk to me.”

“Oh? And what did the slitherin’ villain have to say to you? Did he tell you lies about me or something? That sounds like something he could definitely do.”

“No! Well- he did lie, but not about you specifically. Kinda just generally. But I’m used to that.”

“Then what did he say?”

“He said that he and Remus wouldn’t like it if we got together because they think we’re the ones that hate them the most, and don’t want us to get closer.”

“Well, they’re not wrong that we dislike them. So Janus threatened you to not start a relationship with me, but you did it anyway?”

“Yeah, I guess it was kinda dumb of me.”

Roman shook his head. “No, Virgil, that’s not dumb. I actually found that to be quite brave of you. And you know how much I love bravery.”

“Thanks, but what do you think we should do about it?”

Roman thought for a bit. “Well, normally I am one to seek out grand battles and adventures! But, going and finding the two of them right now might not be the best idea. I say, we just wait for them to do something, if they do anything at all. It could have just been an empty threat.”

Virgil gave Roman a nervous look. “I don’t think it was. Believe me, most of the time I know when Janus is lying, and he definitely wasn’t.”

Roman wrapped a protective arm around Virgil. “Well, there’s no rush for us. Let’s just enjoy this as long as we can, hm?”

Virgil let out a sigh and placed his head on Roman’s shoulders. “You’re right, Princey. No rush.”

Suddenly, Roman’s face lit up like it always does when he has an idea. “Ya know what, I have the perfect solution to help you forget and calm you down!”

Virgil was nervous, but now for a entirely different reason. “And that is?”

“Our ‘official’ first date, of course!” Roman exclaimed,, standing up from Virgil’s bed. 

“First date?” Virgil said, confused. “But it’s like, midnight!”

“Exactly!” Roman replied, heading towards the door. “Meet me in my room in five minutes.”

“But-”

“And make sure you’re wearing your onesie. I won’t let you in without it.”

\-----

As instructed, Virgil knocked softly on Roman’s door, wearing his skeleton onesie. 

“Roman?” he called, trying not to wake anyone else. “You ready?”

“One moment!” A voice said back. Roman, dressed in his Beast onesie, opened the door. “Welcome to my kingdom!”

Virgil glanced over his shoulder. “Just looks like a bedroom to me.”

Roman sighed dramatically. “You’re lucky I like you, my dark and stormy knight in shining armor.”

“Already breaking out the lovey-dovey nicknames, are we?” Virgil teased. “That was fast.”

“Just get in here,” Roman said, pulling Virgil into his room and closing the door. 

“Wha-! Roman, what are you doing?”

“Well, we’re gonna have a slumber party!” Roman proclaimed. 

“A slumber party?” Virgil repeated.

“Indeed! Disney movies, video games, snacks, face masks, the whole shebang!” 

Virgil paused and looked down at the floor. 

“Virgil?” Roman asked quietly, gently grasping the other’s hand. “Are you alright?”

“…yeah, it’s just-”

“Just what?”

“Normally,” Virgil started, squeezing Roman’s hand, “your level of extra annoys me. But, this, this is nice.”

A genuine smile spread across Roman’s face. “I’m glad you think so. Where shall we start?”

“I’d love to destroy you in Mario Kart.”

“You wish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to break out the onesies. 
> 
> I watched the great British bake off with my parents while I wrote parts of this chapter. I hope the chill yet tense vibes from it helped me out a bit. But I also watched game grumps while writing it so I feel like they equal each other out.


	6. Do You Wanna Hang?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter six's title comes once again from Be More Chill
> 
> this chapter was a bit difficult to title ngl
> 
> also this chapter is definitely not the best writing I've ever done but eh, I had to post somethin'

As Virgil said he would, he destroyed Roman in Mario Kart. And Super Smash Bros. And every other game they played that night (Roman wasn’t giving up,). 

“Curses!” Roman exclaimed, shaking his fist in the air jokingly, sitting at the end of his bed. “You continue to triumph over me!”

“Give it up, Princey.” Virgil replied. He was sitting on the floor and leaning up against the bed. “Let’s just watch a movie or something.”

“Alright, alright, I concede. What would you like to watch?”

“Naw, you pick.”

“But I lost!” Roman gasped. “Losers don’t get to decide things!”

“Well, the *winner* says you can. Now pick somethin’.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll ignore the rules of victory this time. How does Tangled sound to you, Virg?”

“Works for me, Princey.”

Minutes passed as they started the movie. Roman had pulled his hair back and started painting on a green face mask, and Virgil was slowly working his way through a chocolate chip cookie. Examining it, Virgil smirked as he got an idea. He picked a chocolate chip out of his cookie and threw it up at Roman’s face. It hit his cheek and fell, taking some face mask with it. 

Roman made an offended noise. “Virgil!” he exclaimed.

Virgil only laughed in response. In retaliation, Roman scooped some more face mask out of the jar and spread it across Virgil’s face, destroying his eyeshadow. “He-hey!” he replied, immediately swatting Roman’s hand away. 

“That’s what you get for throwing a chocolate chip at me!”

“I just thought it would be funny to bring that back a little bit, ya know?”

“Sure, but maybe not while I’m doing some skincare? Believe it or not, this isn’t 100% natural,” he said, gesturing to his face. 

“Alright, alright, that’s fair. But now I have to go fix this.” Virgil was pointing to the line of green smudged across his eyes, cheeks, and nose. He started to stand up when Roman grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Virgil! Wait!” he called. Virgil stopped in his tracks, and turned his face to look down at Roman’s. “I have a better solution, if you’d like to hear it.”

“Uh- okay, I guess.”

“I mean, you can turn it down, but, I think it would make sense if I just went ahead and applied the rest of the mask, don’t you think?”

Virgil blinked, feeling conflicted. 

“I’m the one who put it on your face in the first place. I must make up for it.” Roman declared. “I-if you want.” He added quickly. 

“Roman, I, uh, I’m not so sure…”

“That’s okay!” Roman replied, studying Virgil’s face. “But, can I guess that your refusal isn’t about not wanting a face mask, but instead about not wanting to let your guard down too much around others?”

“Wha- Roman-“

“I told you the truth about my glorious face, did I not? Now it’s your turn.”

“You know that’s not the same thing!”

“Virgil, I understand that you want to be tough for both the others and for Thomas, but I want you to know that you’re safe when you’re with me. I swear on my titles as knight and prince that I will always protect you if the situation calls for it.”

“…I…”

“Was my guess accurate?”

Virgil shifted his gaze as a small blush spread across his cheeks. “I…” Virgil sighed. “yeah.”

Satisfaction spread across Roman’s face as his grip on Virgil’s arm tightened. He pulled Virgil down onto the bed so that their faces were only inches apart. “Great!” 

He turned around to grab the jar and a brush to apply it with. “Ready?” Roman asked. Virgil simply nodded, and Roman got to work painting his face with the green face mask.

They both fell silent, as Roman was concentrating and Virgil was relaxing (just a little bit, of course). The only sound in the room was coming from the movie, now long forgotten. 

Before long, Virgil’s face was just as green as Roman’s. Roman couldn’t help but let out a little giggle. “We match!” he exclaimed. 

Virgil laughed along with him. “We really are idiots, aren’t we?”

Still laughing, Roman said “we’re like twins!”

In a moment of realization, they both stopped laughing and fell into an awkward silence. Roman noticed Virgil starting to fold in on himself and turn away. 

“Hey, I-I’m sorry I brought him up.” Roman muttered, placing a tentative hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “I know how my brother can make you feel…” 

“Like I haven’t been doing my job? L-like I haven’t- done enough to protect Thomas, a-and the others? Yeah, that’s how Remus makes me feel!”

Roman put each of his hands on Virgil’s shoulders and turned him towards himself. “Hey, hey! I get it! Look at me, I get it!” 

Virgil opened his eyes. 

“Believe me, Virge, if anyone else knows, it’s me. Hell, he’s literally my evil twin. He’s a constant reminder of what I don’t want to be; what I don’t want to become. Y-you said he makes you feel like you haven’t done your job, yes?”

“Yeah-”

“Remus makes me feel like I must do my job perfectly. If he’s all the ‘bad’ parts of creativity, then I must be all the ‘good’ parts.”

“Roman, I-” 

“It’s okay. Look- I understand what Janus said to you earlier is putting you on edge. He and my brother probably have something in mind that we’d rather not know about. But, I’m trying to get your mind off of it. I swore on my titles that I’d protect you if I needed to, didn’t I?”

“I mean, yeah, but-” 

“Then you need not worry! Nothing can happen to you with the great Prince Roman there to protect you!” He exclaimed, raising his arms in his signature pose.

Virgil scoffed and smiled. “Yeah, yeah…” he said, giving Roman a playful punch to the stomach. “And you’ve got your- what was it? Your ‘dark and stormy knight in shining armor’ to protect you too, Princey.”

Roman let out an excited squeal, before clearing his throat to calm down. “Eh- yes! Sounds perfect! No one will get between the Mindscape’s greatest protectors!”

“Got that right. Now can we wash this gunk off our faces now?”

“Oh! Yes!” Roman summoned a bowl of water and some towels, and they both wiped the masks off until their faces were clean. 

“Ya know,” Roman started, “I don’t think I’ve seen you without your eyeshadow before. It looks nice. Eh- not that you look bad with it or anything-”

“Thanks, Ro. But I hope you’re not just saying that since I look like you now.”

Roman laughed. “Although that surely is a plus, that’s not what I meant. You know that.”

“Yeah, I do. But, I want to have it back,”-he started to stand- “so I’m going to go put it back on.”

“Would you mind if I tried?” Roman asked. “I’ve been wanting to try makeup for some time now.”

“I mean, sure, I’ll- I’ll grab it. Be right back.” With that, Virgil left the room. 

As soon as he left, a certain sparkly, demented royal rose out of the floor in the corner of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;P


End file.
